Court fixes March 21 for hearing of Sanusi’s suit

Sanusi filed for restraining order against police, SSS.
A Federal High Court in Lagos on Friday fixed March 21 to hear a motion filed by the suspended Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Lamido Sanusi, seeking enforcement of his fundamental right.
Mr. Lamido had filed the suit through his counsel, Yemi Osibanjo, seeking an order restraining the police and officers of the State Security Service, SSS, from arresting, detaining or otherwise harassing him.
Joined as first to third respondents in the suit are the Attorney General of the Federation, AGF, Inspector General of Police, and the SSS.
When the case was mentioned on Friday, Justice Ibrahim Buba adjourned it to March 21 for hearing, following an application for adjournment moved by counsel to all the respondents.
The counsel to the AGF, Oscar Nliam, holding the brief of Mike Ozekhome, informed the court that his office had just been briefed on the matter. He said they were yet to receive all the processes filed by the applicant, and therefore prayed the court for a short adjournment to enable him collate all processes.
The counsel representing the Inspector General, Chukwu Agwu, informed the court that he was only notified Thursday night by his boss from the Force Headquarters that the suit will be coming up in court. He said that the second respondent was yet to receive the processes and also prayed the court for an adjournment to enable him look at the processes when they arrive.
In the same vein, the counsel representing the SSS, Ahmed Musa, also aligned himself with the submissions of his colleagues, adding that an adjournment will be to their favour especially as parties were still within time of filing.
The counsel representing the applicant, Kola Awodehin, did not object to the prayers for adjournment, but noted that the suit bordered on fundamental rights enforcement and ought to be dealt with expeditiously.
Justice Buba, however, in a short ruling, adjourned the case to March 21 for hearing.
The court had, on February 21, granted an interim order of injunction, restraining the respondents from arresting, detaining or harassing the applicant, pending the determination of the motion on notice.
The interim order was sequel to an affidavit of urgency filed by the applicant on the same date.
The court also granted the applicant leave to serve the originating summons and other accompanying court processes on the respondents.
Mr. Sanusi was suspended as the Central Bank Governor by President Goodluck Jonathan last week Thursday after he was accused of financial mismanagement.
The CBN governor recently exposed the non-remittance of $20 billion by the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, to the federation account thus causing many to question the motive for his suspension.
(NAN)

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Abiola’s Family Rejects Nigeria’s Centenary Award

The family of the late M.K.O Abiola has rejected the posthumous Centenary award to the winner of the 1993 Nigeria’s presidential election.
Kola Abiola, the eldest son of the late politician and businessman, told PREMIUM TIMES on Friday that the award was “not appropriate.”
“For us, what the government is doing is laudable. But our family will only accept what is appropriate. If what they are trying to give him is a gold award for the centenary, we don’t consider that to be appropriate,” Mr. Abiola said.
“With a gold centenary award, it means we have not left where we were when they tried to rename the University of Lagos after him. We said then that it was inappropriate,” he added.
The Federal Government had shortlisted 100 persons to be honoured with Centenary awards as part of Nigeria’s Centenary celebration.
By turning down the award, the Abiola family joins the families of late activist, Gani Fawehinmi, and late afrobeat maestro, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, who had also rejected the posthumous awards on their patriarch.
Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka is also considering rejecting the award, which is billed to take place in Abuja on Friday.
“I would have preferred that the entire day of infamy be ignored altogether. I’m even thinking favourably of just ignoring the obscenity, then turning up at the counter-event,” Professor Soyinka is quoted as saying.
On Thursday, the family of the late human rights activist, Gani Fawehinmi, said that it would be “inexpedient” for them to receive the award in the face of the latest killing spree by the militant group Book Harm as well as the “putrid odour of corruption” in the alleged mission US20 billion in the NNPC.
Mohammed Fawehinmi, the late lawyer’s eldest son, also said that it would be morally incongruous and psychologically debilitating for the family to stand on the same podium with General Ibrahim Babangida to receive awards.
“In the list of the awards recipients published by the Federal Government, was the name of former military dictator, General Ibrahim Babangida, who as military president, severally detained and tortured our late father,” Mr. Fawehinmi, a lawyer, said.
“In the course of one of such illegal and inhuman detentions, our late father’s cell was sprayed with toxic substances while in Gashua prison in 1987. The cumulative effect of that dastardly action led to our father, a non- smoker, contracting lung cancer which eventually led to his death on September 5, 2009,” he added.
Femi Kuti, the first son of the late afrobeat king, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, said it was unlikely that his family would receive the award from the Nigerian government.
“We have not heard such (of the award) but I can speak for myself, Federal Government should first apologise for the killing of our grandmother and the burning of Kalakuta,” he wrote on his Twitter account.
M.K.O Abiola, the acclaimed winner of the 1993 presidential poll, arguably one of the most free and fair election in Nigeria’s history, died in detention five years later.
An attempt by President Goodluck Jonathan to rename the University of Lagos after the late philanthropist in 2012 resulted in a massive protest by students and lecturers of the institution.
Asked what the family would consider an appropriate honour, Mr. Kola Abiola said, “We leave government to figure that out.”
A source close to the Abiola’s, however, said the family believed the elder Abiola deserve the nation’s highest honour, GCFR (Grand Commander of the Federal Republic), having won the 1993 presidential elections, and laid down his life to usher in democracy in Nigeria.
The family, our source said, is also angry that the government had failed to pay the huge debt it’s owing the late politician’s businesses. They believe the debt is responsible for the collapse of the businesses.
Source: Premium Times

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Presidency under fire for cooking up document linking Sanusi to Boko Haram insurgency

Mr. Omokri has the reputation of being government’s online marksman
Reno Omokiri, a close aide of Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan, is wound up in a massive scandal after the digital footprint of a slanderous write-up against the recently suspended governor of the Central Bank, Sanusi Lamido, was traced to his computer.
Mr. Omokri, Special Assistant to the President on New Media, is believed to have used a pseudonym, Wendell Simlin, to circulate an article that tried to link the recent spike in Boko Haram attack to the suspension of the CBN governor, Lamido Sanusi.
The article tried to use a purported historical framework to draw contextual relationship between the suspended CBN governor and Boko Haram attacks.
“Given the quantum of funds that were appropriated by the Sanusi-led CBN on non banking related activities and donations, and the strong desire that he and Alhaji Umaru Abdul Mutallab have for proselytizing Islam as well as their circumstantial links to terror (Sanusi via Gideon Akaluka and Mutallab via his son) it is not such a leap for them to facilitate the activities of terrorists,” the article read in part.
The article was circulated to bloggers and journalists on Wednesday with the third party email address, wendellsimlin@yahoo.com, but an analysis of the document’s metadata revealed that Reno Omokri authored it.
The document’s digital signature shared a 100 percent resemblance with that of others PREMIUM TIMES had received from Mr. Omokri in the past.
The document was created by Mr. Omokri or someone else who used his Hewlett Packard computer at 10:01 on Wednesday. Sixteen minutes after it was created, the document was printed and revised once before it was sent out at 11:54 using the Wendell Simlin’s email address.
The email was sent out using the Nigerian government’s official internet service provider, Galaxy Backbone, from Abuja, Feyi Fawehimi who first investigated the mail told PREMIUM TIMES.
The revelation of the potential scandal angered Nigerians on social media with many calling for his sack.
Mr. Omokri who claims to be a pastor, often posting gospel tips on twitter, is criticized for failing morally and acting criminally by
trying to blame Mr. Sanusi for terrorist killing less than 48 hours after members of the Boko Haram sect murdered young students in their  hostels.
“If it is true that this guy tried to capitalize on this tragedy by forging documents to implicate somebody else, pressure should be
placed on the presidency to fire him,” Pius Adesanmi, a professor of english and respected social critic said on his Facebook page.
Mr. Omokri has the reputation of being government’s online marksman. He is believed to be President Jonathan’s coordinator of internet trolls and  leads the government’s social media onslaught on opposition parties and critics of the administration.
“Some of us who know him know he establishes spurious online accounts to malign opposition,” Tolu Ogunlesi, a journalist, said.
“It is something we know he does,” another blogger said.
The “grave” attitudinal deficiency exposed by Mr. Reno’s email shows a great danger ahead of Nigeria’s 2015 elections, critics say, arguing that it is an indication that the President Goodluck Jonathan-led administration would rather reap politically from the killing than put an end to it.
“Rather than solving the Boko Haram problem, he is using it for political gains,” Mr. Fawehimi said. “It is quite low and depressing.”
Mr. Omokri is yet to respond to PREMIUM TIMES’ request for comments as at the time of publishing this report.
Aso Rock spokespersons, Reuben Abati and Doyin Okupe, also did not answer or return calls made to them repeatedly by our reporter.
Source: PREMIUM TIMES

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Why Court rejects exparte motion to reinstate Sanusi

CBN Governor, Sanusi Lamido

An Abuja High Court on Wednesday rejected an ex-parte motion brought by the suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Lamido Sanusi. Mr. Sanusi asked the court to set aside his suspension from office.
Mr. Sanusi was suspended by President Goodluck Jonathan last Thursday over alleged financial recklessness and official misconduct.
He filed the suit on Monday to challenge his suspension. He had not only asked for reinstatement, but also an order of interlocutory injunction restraining the president, the Attorney General of the Federation and the Inspector General of Police from stopping him from performing his duties as CBN Governor.
Mr. Sanusi asked the court to grant him his prayers because the delay in doing that could cause irreparable and serious damage and mischief on him in the performance of his statutory functions.
But when the case came up on Wednesday, Justice Gabriel Kolawole  refused Mr. Sanusi’s prayer. He instead ordered that Mr. Jonathan and other defendants be put on notice.
He said the notice would enable them to appear before the court to explain why Mr. Sanusi’s prayer should not be granted.
Mr. Kolawole said it would be difficult to grant interim orders without hearing the defendants.
He stated that after the defendants had been put on notice, he would rule on whether or not the court had jurisdiction to entertain the suit.
He therefore fixed March 12 for Messrs Sanusi, Jonathan and others to argue the motion.

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Yobe killings: Senate ‘directs’ Nigeria’s Army chief to relocate to Maiduguri

Senate in session

The Army chief complained of inadequate funding.
The Senate Committee on Defence and Army on Wednesday in Abuja directed the Chief of Army Staff to relocate temporarily to Maiduguri.
The Thompson Sekibo-led Committee made the call at the 2014 budget defence of the committee.
Mr. Sekibo said the committee condemned what it described as the atrocity being unleashed by the Boko Haram sect on innocent citizens of North Eastern Nigeria.
He said that as part of measures to curb the activities of the Boko Haram sect, the committee also wanted all schools and health institutions from now on to be provided with special security.
“We heard of your planned relocation to Maiduguri, we hereby as the committee overseeing your activities, direct that your office relocates temporarily to the 7th Division in Maiduguri.
“This is so that you take urgent and appropriate steps to quell the situation.
“The Chief of Army staff should also restrategise on possible new ways of curbing these excesses and mobilise all military resources and face the insurgents,” Mr. Sekibo said.
He said because of the situation, the committee would receive the budget proposals without going through the lines.
“No one goes to the town square to dance when there is fire in his house.
“For us, the quelling of this insurgency and giving confidence of safety to Nigerians is of utmost priority.”
The committee further called on President Goodluck Jonathan to mobilise all the needed resources for the Armed Forces to face the challenge.
“This battle must be won to sustain our nation’s stability and unity as it is only in the atmosphere of peace and tranquility that development can be carried out,” Mr. Sekibo said.
He also said the committee would take a tour of the three affected states when the senate resumed from its recess.
In his response, the Chief of Army Staff, Kenneth Minimah, said that the Army was in dire need of more funds.
Mr. Minimah, a Major-General, assured the committee that the Army was up to the task and it was just a matter of time before it would bring the insurgents to their knees.
Meanwhile, the Senate Leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba has described the Tuesday Yobe killings as “crossing the border of decency”.
In a personally signed statement, Mr. Ndoma-Egba said the killing of about 40 students showed that the sect planned to plunge Nigeria into a “bleak and blank future”.
The Senate Leader said: “It is obvious that we are now dealing with a bunch of animals to whom human life is now totally meaningless and worthless.
“When you attack students, you are attacking the foundation of the country’s future. So this attack to me, is to plunge the nation into a bleak and blank future.”
He called for an urgent modification of the security strategy to include hot pursuit as this was permissible in international law.
(NAN)

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INVESTIGATION: Nigeria’s Accountant-General, NAICOM in alleged record-breaking N3.54 billion scandal

Minister of Finance, Okonjo-Iweala (left), Accountant General of the Federation, Jonas Otunla (middle)

It appears a new kind of fraud in Nigeria. A contract was duly awarded by government to some private firms.

But when it was time to make payment for job done, the N3.538billion contract sum was diverted to an entirely different set of companies.

The companies which received payment did not bid for the jobs, were not awarded the contract and are not known to have offered any service.

The firms which offered service but have now been deprived their legitimate earnings are now crying foul.

They are accusing the National Insurance Commission, NAICOM, and the office of the Accountant General of the Federation, OAGF, of masterminding what appears an unprecedented fraud — diverting the insurance premium due to them (42 insurance companies) to other entities.

Already, a legal firm representing the affected insurance firms, Alade Agbabiaka & Co., has petitioned the Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, and the Attorney-General/Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke, seeking their intervention in the matter.
Copies of the petition were also sent to the Director General, Bureau for Public Enterprises, BPP, Emeka Ezeh; Accountant General of the Federation, AGF, Jonas Otunla, and the National Commissioner of Insurance, National Insurance Commission, Fola Daniel.
The petition, obtained by PREMIUM TIMES, Alade Agbabiaka & Co., described the action of NAICOM and OAGF officials as “completely astonishing, unlawful and absolutely out of order.”
Counsel to the aggrieved insurance firms indicated that the BPP subjected over 40 insurance brokers who bided for the job to a screening and selection process in line with stipulated guidelines.
At the end of the screening, AIICO Insurance PLC and Standard Insurance Consultants Limited were appointed lead insurer and broker respectively to provide Group Life Assurance for employees of the Nigeria Police Force, NPF.
The deal was approved by the office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, HCSF, for the two firms to provide life cover for the police from January 1 to December 31, 2013.
In a letter, with  referenced number HCSF/SW/SS/GLA/B/1019/1/ and dated September 6, 2013, the HCSF conveyed government’s approval for the two firms  to serve as lead brokers, while a consortium of 40 other insurance firms were listed as underwriters.
Under the scheme, the Federal Government agreed to pay a total of N3.538billion as premium to the 42 companies listed as underwriters.
With the offer accepted and agreements and memorandum of understanding, MOU, signed by AIICO, the BPP issued a certificate of due process, following the approval of the deal by the Executive Council of the Federation, FEC.
After obtaining relevant approvals and certification, AIICO Insurance issued a policy cover and a debit note referenced: 252/2013/ABJ, to seal the contract.
However, while premiums for similar policies approved by the HCSF, in the Ministry of Police Affairs and Ministry Lands, Housing and Urban Development were paid when due, that of police formations and commands totaling N3.537billion were withheld by the OAGF.
On January 7, 2014, the insurance firm wrote to the AGF, reminding him of the pending premium to the affected insurance firms but the AGF never responded to the letter.
A source in AIICO, who pleaded anonymity, because he is not authorised to speak on the issue, told PREMIUM TIMES that further enquiries at the AGF’s office revealed the premium was diverted and paid to Crusader Insurance/Custodian & Allied Insurance PLC along with Hogg Robinson, as the lead insurer.
The transaction, the source said, was based on a memo purportedly sent by NAICOM to the office of the AGF.
But the petitioners have insisted that Crusader/Custodian & Allied Insurance PLC and its ally, Hogg Robinson, neither bided for the contract, nor went through the due process clearance by BPP.
The law firm also noted that the certificate of no objection and requisite approval by FEC, never included Crusader/Custodian & Allied Insurance PLC and its ally.
When contacted, the Director-General, BPP, Emeka Ezeh, said the involvement of his agency in the transaction ended with its issuance of Certificate of Due Process.
He, however, noted that any unlawful diversion of entitlements to any entity outside the parties duly awarded the contract, constituted a criminal breach that should attract legal sanctions.
Mr. Ezeh, who confirmed receipt of a copy of the petition by the aggrieved insurance firms, said the document was forwarded to all relevant authorities, including the HCSF, for necessary action.
“It is only when the Head of Service has responded that we (BPP) would know what to do”, Mr. Ezeh said.
Officials at the Ministry of Police Affairs and the HCSF refused to speak on the issue.
A similar enquiry at the Crusader/ Custodian & Allied Insurance PLC, said to have been paid the alleged diverted premium, was rebuffed.
An official of the insurance firm, who received calls from PREMIUM TIMES, noted that no staff of the company was authorised to respond to such enquiry, except the Public Relations Officer, PRO, who was said to be on vacation.
Also contacted, the National Commissioner of Insurance, Fola Daniel, denied knowledge of any letter from NAICOM directing the OAGF to divert the said premium to Crusader/Custodian & Allied Insurance.
Mr. Daniel, who spoke through the Assistant Director/Head, Corporate Affairs of NAICOM, Rasaq Salami, however confirmed receiving a copy of the petition on the issue, saying he has already invited all the parties involved to a meeting to amicably resolve the issues.
“No other agency is better placed to say why the alleged diversion was done than the Police themselves,” Mr. Salami said. “The Police always deal directly with the insurance companies, and they decide which company to use and how much premium to pay.
“NAICOM does not get involved at all, except where its advice is sought on the registered and viable companies for a particular transaction,” Mr. Daniel said.
The spokesperson at the OAGF, Charles Nwodo, said he would not respond to inquiries from PREMIUM TIMES, until he sees “concrete evidence of the memo authorizing the alleged diversion.”
Long after a Freedom of Information, FOI, request was submitted by PREMIUM TIMES to the OAGF, to formally react to the allegations raised in the petition, no reply was received as at the time of publishing this report.
 Source: PREMIUM TIMES

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Full Text of President Jonathan's Centenary Anniversary Broadcast

This is the full text of national broadcast by Pres. Jonathan on the occasion of Nigeria’s Centenary Celebrations yesterday in Abuja

Dear Compatriots,

1.  I extend warm greetings and felicitations to all Nigerians as we celebrate our nation’s centenary; a significant milestone in our journey to Nationhood.

 2. One hundred years ago, on the 1^st of January 1914, the British Colonial authorities amalgamated the Southern and Northern Protectorates, giving birth to the single geo-political entity called Nigeria which has become our home, our hope, and our heritage.

 3. I have often expressed the conviction that our amalgamation was not a mistake. While our union may have been inspired by considerations external to our people; I have no doubt that we are destined by God Almighty to live together as one big nation, united in diversity. Continue...

4. I consider myself specially privileged to lead our country into its second century of existence. And as I speak with you today, I feel the full weight of our hundred-year history. But what I feel most is not frustration, it is not disillusionment. What I feel is great pride and great hope for a country that is bound to overcome the transient pains of the moment and eventually take its rightful place among the greatest nations on earth.

5.         Like every country of the world, we have had our troubles. And we still do. We have fought a civil war. We have seen civil authorities overthrown by the military. We have suffered sectarian violence. And as I speak, a part of our country is still suffering from the brutal assault of terrorists and insurgents.

6.            While the occasion of our centenary undoubtedly calls for celebration, it is also a moment to pause and reflect on our journey of the past one hundred years, to take stock of our past and consider the best way forward for our nation.

7.         Even as we celebrate our centenary, we must realise that in the context of history, our nation is still in its infancy.

8.         We are a nation of the future, not of the past and while we may have travelled for a century, we are not yet at our destination of greatness.

9.         The amalgamation of 1914 was only the first step in our national journey. Unification was followed by independence and democracy which have unleashed the enormous potentials of our people and laid the foundation for our nation’s greatness.

10.    In challenging times, it is easy to become pessimistic and cynical. But hope, when grounded in realism, enables and inspires progress. Therefore, as we celebrate our first century of nationhood and enter a second, we must not lose sight of all that we have achieved since 1914 in terms of nation-building, development and progress.

11.    Today, we salute once again the great heroes of our nation – Herbert Macaulay, Ernest Ikoli, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Sir Ahmadu Bello, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Alvan Ikoku, Chief Harold Dappa-Biriye, Dr. Michael Okpara, Chief Anthony Enahoro, Mallam Aminu Kano, Mokwugo Okoye and Chief Michael Imoudu among others.

12.    We must be inspired by our past to overcome the obstacles we face in the present and honour our forebears by realising the promise of a Nigeria that is not only independent but also truly unified, prosperous and admired the world over.

13.    The history of Nigeria since independence is the story of a struggle to fulfill our great promise. The discovery of oil in our country in the late 1950s offered new hope of prosperity but we have not always been able to reap the benefits in a fair and equitable way.

14.    The situation was not helped by political instability and the frequent suspension of democracy by military coups. During the civil war, the very existence of our country was cast into doubt but through it all, the promise of a Nigeria that is united, free and strong remained in our people's hearts.

15.    Thanks to the efforts of our statesmen and women, and millions of ordinary Nigerians, the union endured and flourished.  I would like to specifically commend members of the Armed Forces for their contributions and sacrifices to keep Nigeria one.

16.    General Yakubu Gowon had the wisdom and grace to declare that the civil war had seen "no victor, no vanquished" and welcomed, "the dawn of national reconciliation".

17.    It was in this spirit that General Olusegun Obasanjo collected the instruments of surrender at the end of the war and later became the first military ruler in our country to hand over power voluntarily to a democratic government.

18.    While the Second Republic did not last, his fine example was later followed by General Abdulsalam Abubakar who paved the way for our current democratic dispensation which has lasted longer than the previous three put together. 

19.    As we celebrate our centenary, I believe that it is vital that we focus our thoughts on the vast potentials of a unified and progressive Nigeria; and build on the relative stability of the Fourth Republic to achieve accelerated national socio-economic development.

20.    I also believe that the future greatness of our country is assured by the favourable tail winds of a resilient population, ecological diversity, rich natural resources and a national consciousness that rises above our differences.

21.    We are a unique country. We have been brought together in a union like no other by providence. Our nation has evolved from three regions to thirty six states and a Federal Capital Territory.

22.    We have transited from the Parliamentary to a Presidential system of government. We have moved our capital from the coastal city of Lagos to Abuja, at the centre of our country.

23.    Today Abuja stands as a monument to our national aspiration for greater unity; it symbolises our dream of a modern nation unhinged from primordial cleavages and designed as a melting pot of our diversity

24.    If in our first century, we could build a new capital city, we can surely build a newer, stronger, more united and prosperous Nigeria in the next century that will be an authentic African success story.

 

25.    The whole world awaits this African success story. With our sheer size, population, history, resilience, human and natural resources and economic potentials, Nigeria is divinely ordained to lead the African Renaissance.

26.    That is why I am confident that in the next 100 years, those who will celebrate Nigeria’s second centenary, will do so as a united, prosperous and politically stable nation which is truly the pride and glory of Africa and the entire black race.

 27.    The key to the fulfilment of that vision is our continued unity as a nation. Perhaps one of the most amazing stories of our political evolution in the last hundred years is that an ordinary child of ordinary parentage from a minority group has risen to occupy the highest office in our country.
 28.    As we march into the next hundred years, it is my hope that mine will no longer be an extra-ordinary story but an accepted reality of our democracy that every Nigerian child can pursue his or her dreams no matter how tall; that every Nigerian child can aspire to any position in our country, and will not be judged by the language that he speaks or by how he worships God; not by gender nor by class; but by his abilities and the power of his dreams. 

29.    I am proud and privileged to have been elected leader of Nigeria and I consider it my solemn responsibility to act in the best interest of the nation at all times.

30.    Dear compatriots, in line with the thoughts of that great son of our continent, Nelson Mandela, let us not judge ourselves, and let not the world judge us by how many times we have stumbled, but by how strongly we have risen, every single time that we have faltered.

31.    Even as we remain resolute in our conviction that our union is non-negotiable, we must never be afraid to embrace dialogue and strengthen the basis of this most cherished union. A strong nation is not that which shies away from those difficult questions of its existence, but that which confronts such questions, and together provides answers to them in a way that guarantees fairness, justice and equity for all stakeholders.

32.    My call for the National Conference in this first year of our second century is to provide the platform to confront our challenges. I am confident that we shall rise from this conference with renewed courage and confidence to march through the next century and beyond, to overcome all obstacles on the path to the fulfilment of our globally acknowledged potential for greatness.

33.    I have referred to national leaders who did so much to build our nation in the past hundred years but nation-building is not just a matter for great leaders and elites alone.

 

34.    All Nigerians must be involved in this national endeavour. From the threads of our regional, ethnic and religious diversities we must continuously weave a vibrant collage of values that strengthen the Nigerian spirit.

35.    The coming National Conference should not be about a few, privileged persons dictating the terms of debate but an opportunity for all Nigerians to take part in a comprehensive dialogue to further strengthen our union. 

36.    I am hopeful that the conference will not result in parochial bargaining between competing regions, ethnic, religious and other interest groups but in an objective dialogue about the way forward for our nation and how to ensure a more harmonious balance among our three tiers of government. 

37.    My dear compatriots, as we celebrate our centenary, the security situation in some of our North-Eastern States, sadly remains a major concern for us. Just yesterday, young students, full of hopes and dreams for a great future, were callously murdered as they slept in their college dormitories in Yobe State. I am deeply saddened by their deaths and that of other Nigerians at the hands of terrorists. Our hearts go out to their parents and relatives, colleagues and school authorities.

38.    We will continue to do everything possible to permanently eradicate the scourge of terrorism and insurgency from our country.  We recognise that the root cause of militancy, terrorism and insurgency is not the strength of extremist ideas but corrupted values and ignorance.

39.    That is why our counter-terrorism strategy is not just about enforcing law and order as we have equipped our security forces to do. It also involves expanding economic opportunities, social inclusion, education and other measures that will help restore normalcy not just in the short term, but permanently.

40.    I want to reassure Nigerians that terrorism, strife and insecurity in any part of Nigeria are abhorrent and unacceptable to us. I urge leaders throughout Nigeria to ensure that ethnicity and religion are not allowed to become political issues.

41.    I hope and pray that one hundred years from now, Nigerians will look back on another century of achievements during which our union was strengthened, our independence was enhanced, our democracy was entrenched and our example was followed by leaders of other nations whose ambition is to emulate the success of Nigeria; a country that met its difficulties head-on and fulfilled its promise.

42.    Finally, Dear Compatriots, as we enter a second century in the life of our nation, let us rededicate ourselves to doing more to empower the youth of our country. Our common heritage and future prosperity are best protected and guaranteed by them. We must commit our full energies and resources to empowering them to achieve our collective vision of greatness in this second century of our nationhood.

43.    That is the task before our country; that is the cause I have chosen to champion and I believe we will triumph.

44.    I wish all Nigerians happy Centenary celebrations.

45.    Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

46.       I thank you.

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